Apple Pay debuted in the United Kingdom on Tuesday, and there was at least one hitch. HSBC customers found that they are unable to use the mobile payments service, despite the banks status as an official launch partner. On the brighter side, Barclays has relented, and has announced that support for the service is on the way.
Shortly after Apple Pay launched in the UK, customers of HSBC and its First Direct internet banking arm expressed disappointment that their accounts were not among the first to boast compatibility with Apple’s touchless payment tech, reports The Telegraph. The bank has more than 16 million customers in the region.
While HSBC was originally listed on Apple’s U.K. Apple Pay webpage as one of eight launch partners, the bank’s logo is now displayed under the “Coming Soon” heading. Bank representatives, responding to upset customers on Twitter, assured them that support is “launching soon,” while others narrowed down the timeframe to sometime in July.
Meanwhile, Barclays has relented, and has tweeted that it was excited about the launch of Apple Pay, and would soon offer support for it. Barclays had previously said it was in “constructive” talks with Apple, while at the same time introducing its own bPay contactless payments system.
Barclays still doesn’t show up on the U.K. Apple Pay webpage as an official partner bank. American Express, MBNA, nationwide, NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland, Santander, and Ulster Bank are currently listed as “Participating Banks.” Bank of Scotland, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, M&S, and TSB are listed as “Coming Soon.”
Apple’s U.K. launch of Apple Pay is the first leg of an international rollout for the payments service, with other countries expected to follow, including Canada, China, and other established markets.
